The final round of the Idea Splash was held Tuesday, and we wanted to take a minute to applaud both the people behind the winning ideas and the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, who funded the $20,000 grant that was given away.

The event called the Idea Splash started in November when residents gathered at Wedgewood Cove Golf Club. There, residents could propose projects that would build on the existing infrastructure and assets of the community, with a specific focus on the downtown and Albert Lea and Fountain lakes. At stake was a $20,000 grant awarded to the city by the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation.

Out of that event came about a dozen projects. Those projects were narrowed down, and by Tuesday night, there were two groups who presented.

The first, for a community dog park, is being led by the Albert Lea Rotary Club with collaboration from veterinarians, the Kennel Club of Freeborn County and others. The group wants to build the dog park for not only local residents, but travelers, too. The space will give dogs a place to exercise off-leash, safely and legally. The members of the group at the meeting Tuesday had clearly done their research and were determined to make the project a reality.

We applaud them for their enthusiasm and determination.

The second project — titled “Cellfie Tours” — incorporates QR codes on downtown buildings for a self-guided historic walking tour. The idea is that people can scan a QR code using a cellphone and then look at photos, videos and other information about the history of that building on the mobile device.

The group members who presented this project were also equally as enthusiastic about their idea and said they hoped the project could bridge the gap between the millenials and the older generatioin. They have plans to potentially develop additional QR codes to other areas within the city.

In the end, both projects were awarded $10,000.

We applaud the people involved in the process who clearly desired to better Albert Lea.

We hope others are motivated by this project and work on additional projects to better the community.